A corpora



March 5, 1929. D, E HRDING 1,704,386

GRADING AND GAUGING MACHINE Marcha, 1929. D EHARDWG 1,704,386

GRADING AND GAUGING MACHINE Filed Oct, 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 33 6ilf/' 40 Q v 4 a joa 0 4 .if E ik Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

hltttt narran stares satana? orales,

DANA E. HARDNG, OF ARLENGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNGR, BY YIES'N SSIG-l- MENTS, TO HARDING-WOLCOTT CMPANY, F BOSTON, IASSAC-IUSETTS, A CORPORA- TON OF MASSACHUSETTS.

GRADING AND GAUGING IVIACHNE.

.Application filed Ilctoloer 22, 1923. Serial No. 669,909.

My present invention is a machine for gauging and grading sheet material of uneven or varying thicknesses, and is particularly adapted for operation upon entireV v the hides, skins or the like require gauging and grading, and must beineasured for thickness, Weight or the like. Thus in sorting skins it is at present customary to grade the saine into various'vveights from which can he subsequently cut or formed the different lines of articles such for example as uppers' for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes. Thus skins intended for this purpose are graded into mens, heavy niens, light mens and the like. As heretofore carried out this operation of grading hides and skins is a ditlicult one and requiring great skill, the necessary operations up to the present consisting entirely in a hand operation. Thus each skin or hide was handled by one or more operators, the skin or hide being taken oft' the stack, pile'or horse, the operator being obliged to manipulate the entire skin, bend the same in one or more places, and gauge vor measure it by running the lingers along the bent portion. A highly skilled operator could thus guess With fair ,accuracy the Weight of the skin, by yfeeling the thickness, etc., as well as he could in this operation, thereby sorting the skins roughly into the various Weights as above noted. In this laborious, slow and inaccurate hand operation, it Was of course impossible to have any predetermined uniformity in the resulting piles or stacks of skins and hides, thus roughly graded by guess Work. One operator Would grade a hide as light inens or light medium,4 Whereas the adjoining operator would grade a skin of equal or even less thickness as one of the heavier classes. rlhe toughness of the grain Was necessarily deceiving as to its thickness, and the bending of the skin, Which Was a part of the operation, was of course deceiving and not a true index of its thickness, grade or Weight. The difficulty in handling such large, uneven, and oddly shaped articles as hides and skins, Whichl also Were of Warped surface, necessarily resulting from the laying out flat of a. hide which Was removed from a rounded animal, has rendered it apparently impossible to handle such articles in this Way by a machine.

However, I have novv devised a machine for this Work, which Will operate upon a hide or skin of any dimensions, and which will indicate the gauge, by measuring the varying thickness of the saine at any predetermined point, Width, line or section,

q and which machine will perform its operation with perfect accuracy, resulting in uniformity of product, and With great speed. Furthermore, the operator is relieved from the laborious and tedious action of lifting, handling, bending and feeling each individual hide, skin or layer of leather, and of course my machine eliminates all guess Work and permits the heretofore highly diflicult operation of gauging and grading hides and 'skins to be performed by unskilled labor With eXtreme accuracy and perfect uniforniity.

ln carrying out my present invention l provide mechanism which Will receive, handle, measure at a plurality of points and feed through entire hides and skins, indicating the gauge, grade, Weight, as the same is fed through, these indications preferably being the resultant of a plurality of gauging, grading or feeling instrumentalities, which devices are operative instantly, continuously, as the skin is fed through, and which are immediately set to operate upon a succeeding hide, as the preceeding one is moved or fed through and out of the machine.

My improved construction visually indicates the average thickness of a hide or skin fat a plurality of points along its length and the average thicknesses are indicated by a Vpointer moving over a graduated dial and skin through the machine. A fair operator Will be able to determine this average thickness with considerable accuracy and an ezipert operator can do so With extreme accuracy.

My invention also contemplates theprovision of means for forming visual indications as a permanent record of the to and fro travel of the indicating hand on the dial and I therefore provide a record making sheet movable in synchronism With the moverent of the hide or skin through the machine with which the marking device of the indicating hand cooperates. vVith relatively unskilled labor it may be preferable to depend on the permanent record for determining the grade of the hides gauged or as a check on ordinary or even skillful operators this feature of my invention is important.

In a device of this character Where an indicating hand is controlled in its pivotal movement by a plurality of vertically movable devices, the variation or fluctuations of the indicating hand are apt to be so rapid astocause difficulty in accurately and easily estimating the amount of movement and the relative position of the indicating hand on the dial. To obviate this difficulty and to provide an additional or second averaging device to be used in connection With the averaging device directly connected to the indicating` hand, I have connected to the drivingniechanism of the indicating hand a dash pot, eitiier air or liquid, as may be desired, and which prevents ksudden surges inthe movement of` the indicating hand, steadying the same so as to have its variation in movei'nent relatively slow and gradual, considered With respect to the longitudinal movement ofthe hide or skin through the machine. This feature I consider of great importance as it enables me o have in a single machine what is practically a double averaging device and which enables me to quickly and accurately estimate the average movement of the indicating hand Without undue fatigue.

I believe that a machine of this type, capable of gauging, grading and measuring operations on such large and unwieldy articles ofuneven shape and thickness as hides and skins, is a distinct novelty, and I wish to claim the various features and operations of my invention, broadly.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation;

Fig. 2 is asectional side elevation on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a fromA elevation of a modification of the lifting means. and

Fig. l isa sectional le elevation on the line 4 4- of Fig.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a base or table supported at any suitable bers l2 secured to the table 1() by struts'l.

Secured to the upper' ends of the angle members 12 is a channel iron member 141;.v The top of the table or base 10 adjacent the angle members 13 is cut aivay, as indicated at 1.5, Fig. 2, and through which extends the surface of an elongated cylinder member 16 secured to a shaft 17 that is vrotatably mounted in bearings 19S4 arranged on either side of the base 10 on the members 12. One end of the shaft 17 extends outward beyond the limits of the base or table 10,. as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and has mounted thereon tight and loose pulleys 18 and 19 respectively. The upper surface ofthe table or base 10 is covered With a smooth surface material 20, such as zinc or the like, and it is to be noted that the Width of the table 10i is Wide enough to receive and have fed thereover from front to back a complete hide. In actual practice, therefore, the Width of this base or table 10 is between liveand siX feet.

Secured to the front surface of the channel iron member 141 and arranged side by side is a plurality of yokes 21, these yokes being secured the channel shaped member 141 ny bolts 22. Each of these yokes at its forward end is provided with an elongated slot 23 and in the slots 28 are mounted for vertical movement shafts 24. On the shafts 211 between the arms of the yokes 21 is rotatably mounted an idler pulley 25. The outer ends of the shafts 24 are rotatably mountedv in the lower ends of yokes 26, the shafts 211 being held against endwise movement by cotter pins 27 As shown in the present embodiment o my invention, there are four rollers or Wheels 25 arranged in pairs, but it is obvious that I may utilize as many pairs of Wheels as I may desire or as may seem necessary. The Wheels being arranged in pairs, there is secured to the top of each yoke 26 of each pair a bearing member 28 to Which is pivotally attached the lower end: of a link or rod 2) and each of the links or rods 29 is pivotally connected at its upper end to the ends of a connecting link 30. Assuming that two pairs of Wheels 25 are sufficient, it Will be obvious that two connecting links 30 are employed and to the middle of each of the connecting links 3() is pivotally attached the lower end of a link or rod 31, the upper ends of these links 31 being pivotally attach/.idv to the ends of a link or rod 32. This link or rod has pivotally attached to its middle point the lower end of` aconnecting rod 33, the upper end of this rod being pivotally attached by screw Ef-l to a circular member 35 that is rotatably mounted on ay shaft 36 secured to the front face of a member 37 that is secured to the upper face of the channel shaped member. 14. A portion of the periphery of the circular member is provided with gear teeth 38 which mesh with, and drive, a pinion 39 pivotally mounted on the front face of the member 37 and extending radially outward from the pinion 39 is a hand or pointer 40 which cooperates with indications designated 41 on a dial plate 42 secured to the upper front face of the member 37 by vscrews 43. Limit stops 44 are provided on the front face of the dial plate 42 to limit the movement of the indicating hand 40. Formed integral with, and

extending` laterally outward from, the circular member 35 is an arm 45 to the outer end of which is pivotally attached the upper end of a member 46 and the lower end of this member 46 is drilled and tapped to receive f the upper threaded end of a piston rod 47.

The lower end of the piston rod 47 has secured thereto a piston 48 which works in a cylinder 49 secured to the upper face of the channel shaped member 14 in any suitable manner. Securedto the side of the member 37 by screws 50 is a bracket 51 which has formed thereon a shaft 52 that extends forwardly and has rotatably mounted thereon lmovement in arms 56 and 57 secured to the channel shaped member 14.l The lower end of the member 55 adjacent the bearing 57 1s bent at a right angle and extends forwardly and outwardly, as indicated at 58,

and the strengthening bracket 59 is secured to the member and right angled portion 58. The forward end of the portion 58 has secured thereto by bolt 60 a downwardly depending yoke 61 in the lower end of which is rotatably mounted an idler wheel 62 and when the brake shoe portion 54 is in engagement with the periphery of the circular member 35 so as to prevent rotation thereof, the wheel 62 is in engagement with, or only slightly abovethe top surface of the smooth surfaced covering 20 of the table or base 10. A spring 60 secured at one end to the member 37 by screws 81 bears on the projection 82 secured to the rear face of the member 55 and urges the member 55 and wheel 62 downwardly. y

The base or table 10 and the covering 20 therefor are rprovided immediately beneath the idler wheel 62 with a rectangular slot through which extends an idler wheel 63, this idler wheel being rotatably mounted in a plate 65 secured by screws 66 to a member 67 that in turn is secured to the under surface of the base 10. The base or table 16 on its under side is provided with a transversely arranged downwardly depending member 68 to the front face of which is secured a bearing plate 69 and in this bearing plate is pivotally mounted a linlr 70 at the lower or other end of which is rotatably7 mounted a pulley 71. Secured 'to the lower front face of the transversely arranged plate 68 is a member 72 through which extends a set screw 73 thatis adapted to be brought into engagement with the link 70 intermediate the ends thereof and this set screw 73 is utilized to swing the link 70 about its pivot point on the lug 69 and thus bring the pulley 71 into engagement with the cylindrical pulley 16 and with the pulley 63. Power being transmitted to the cylindrical member 16 by the tight pulley 18, said cylindrical member rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 and the pulley 71, engaging with the cylindrical member 16, is rotated and in turn rotates the pulley 63, which pulley, engaging with the pulley 62, rotates said pulley 62 in the direction of the arrow and feeding any material placed on the top of the table or base 10 to the right, as viewed in F ig. 2.

lt is obvious that, if a sheet of material, such as leather, is placed on the top of the base or table l() and fed to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, between the cylindrical member 16 and the plurality of idler pulleys 25, said pulleys 25 will be lifted individually a distance above the upper surface of the table 10 equal to the thickness of the sheet of material at the particular point of Contact. It is obvious that, if the thickness of the material is not a uniform thickness, the various idler pulleys 25 will be at different heights above the upper surface of t-he table or base 10 and this difference in height will be manifested through a varying upward travel of the members 29, 31, and 33 so that the difference in thickness of the material as measured by the various idler pulleys 25 will be indicated on the dial plate 42 by the'extent of movement of the indicator hand 40. The operator, by watching the indicator hand 40, will be able to determine on which section of the dial 42 the major portion of the movements of the indicator hand 40 takes place and willthus be able to determine with considerable accuracy the averagethickness of the hide being gauged. In order to provide a visual indication of the movement of the indicating hand 40, l may provide the dial plate 42 with parallel spaced perforations 83 and 84 respectively, and on the back of the dial plate 42 adjacent the slot 84 is arranged an arbor carrying a roll of paper 85, the end of this roll of paper passing through the slot 84, upward across the face of the dial plate 42 and rearwardly through the slot 83 where its end is fastened to an arbor 86 mounted in suitable bearings (not shown) attached to the rear face of the dial plate 42. Secured to the end of the shaft is a pulley 87 over which runs a belt 88, this belt also running over a pulley 89 secured to a shaft 90 that is rotatably mounted in bearing lugs 91 secured to the member 14. Also secured to the shaft 90 between the bearings lugs 91 is a pulley 92 which is normally out of engagement with the surface of the cylinder 16, but when the sheet of leather or other material, the thickness of which is to be gauged, is passed through the machine, it. .fills the space eXisty ing between the pulley 92 and the. cylinder 10 and the pulley 92 is 'therefore rotated by means of the interposed material. Attached to the indicator hand or pointer 40 is a marking device 93 which engages with Athe sheet of paper 85. It is obvious, therefore, that, as the sheet of leather or other material, whose thickness is to be gauged, passes through the machine, a visual indication of the average thickness of such sheet of leather or other material at anypartieular instant will be made on the sheet of paper se that it is possible to use the visual indication on the sheet of paper 8,5 in connection with the visual reading by the operator in connection with the indicating marks on the dial plate 42 and the accuracy with which the workman determines the average thickness of the leather may be checked up from time to time.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, I vhave shown a modification of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Attached to the channel shaped member" 14 are the bearing lugs or ears 94 provided with elongated bearing grooves 95 at their outer end and rotatably mounted in the bearing grooves 95 are shafts 9G which have secured thereto pulleys 97 similar in size and appearance to the pulleys 25. Secured to the upper edge of the front face of the member 14 by bolts 98 are brackets 99, one of such brackets being provided for each of the pulleys 97 and the pulleys 97 being assumed to be equal in number to the pulleys 25, as above described with respect to Figs. 1 and 2. Rotatably mounted on each of the lugs 99 by pin 100 is a bearing yoke 101 near the lower front end of which is rotatably mounted on ain 102y the idler pulley 103 which is normally in engagement with the periphery of the pulley 97 and is driven by such pulley.

Secured to the front top en d of each of the has pivotally secured to its top end a cross y member 30 and, as the rest of this modification is similar in all respects to the mechanism described withrespect to Figs; 1 and 2, it will not be further described.V

' The operation of this modification is identical withthe form described with" respect to Figs. 1 and 2 and a detailed description of the operation thereof is therefore not considered necessary. y

lVhile I have `shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention somewhat in detail, it is to be understood that I may vary the size, shape, and arrangement of parts comprising my invention inn' provision for feedinor therethroiwh sheet Y A b 2D material ofv uneven thickness and varying contour, in combination with a plurality of means each responsive to variations in thickness, means actuated by the first named means to automatically' average such variations in combination with indicating mechanism operated by said second namedmeans, and means for maintaining an indication of thickness during an intermittent period of time.

3. A machine of. the class described,` vhaving provision for feeding therethrough sheet material of uneven thickness and varyingl contour, in combination with aplurality of means. operative to find said variations in thickness, means operable thereby to auto-rV matically average such variations, in combinatien with means actuated by the second means for indicating the average thickso found andV to preserve temporarily such indications after they material has passed.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an averaging device for determining the average thickness ofslieet materia] fed through said machine, said averaging device including a cylindrical pulley or drum, a brake mechanism associated with the periphery of said pulley or drum, and means directly koperated bythe sheet material passing through the machine for releasing said brake mechanism.

5. In a machine of the class described,- the combination of a. table provided with a transverse slot at its rear entha constantly rotating cylindrical drum mounted below `the table and having its upper edge or surface lying in a plane parallel to, but slightly above, the plane of the table, a plurality of parallelly arranged pulleys normally in engagement with the surface of the drum and vertically movable with respect tiereto, a linkage system connec o' said l ber, gear teeth formed on a portion of the periphery of said rotatably mounted pulley, a pinion meshing` with said gear teeth, an indicating hand attached to said pinion, and a graduated dial cooperating with said indicating hand whereby the average movementV imparted to the vertically movable member will be' visually indicated on the dial by the indicating hand.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a table provided with a transverse slot at its rear end, a constantly rotating cylindrical drum mounted below the table and having its upper edge or surface lying in a plane parallel to, but slightly above, the plane of the table, a plurality of parallelly arranged pulleys normally in engagement with the surface ofthe drum and vertically movable with respect thereto, a linkage system connecting said verticallyv movable pulleys together and terminating in a single vertically movable member wheref by, when sheet material is fed through the machine between the pulleys and the drum, the average vertical movement of the pulleys is imparted to the single vertically movable member, a rotatably mounted pulley, a cranlr pin extending laterally outward therefrom and forming a pivotal connection for the upper end of said vertically movable mem! ber, lgear teeth formed on a portion of ythe periphery of said rotatably mounted pulley, a pinion meshing with said gear teeth., an

.indicating hand yattached to said pinion, a

graduated dial cooperating with said indicating hand whereby theaverage movement imparted tothe vertically movable member will be visually indicated on the dial by the indicating hand, av brake mechanism asso` `ciated with said rotatably mounted pulley, i and means operable by the sheet material in its passage through the machine for re leasing the brake mechanism from the pulley.'

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a table provided with a transverse slot at its rear end, a constantly rotating cylindrical drum mounted below the table and having it supper'edge or sur face lying in plane parallel to, but slightly tra above, the plane of the table, a plurality of parallelly arranged pulleys normally in engagement with the surface of the drum and vertically movable with respect thereto, a linkage system connecting said vertically movable pulleys together and terminating in a single vertically movable member whereby,

when sheet material is fed through the machine between the pulleys and the drum, the average vertical movement of the pulleys is imparted to the single vertically movable member, a rotatably mounted pulley, a crank pin extending laterally outward therefrom Vand forming a pivot-al connection for the upper end of said vertically movable meinber, gear teeth formed on a portion of the periphery of said rotatably mounted pulley, a pinion meshing with said gear teeth, an indicating handvattached to said pinion, a graduated dial cooperating with said indicating hand whereby the average movement imparted to the vertically movable member will be visually indicated on the dial rby the indicating hand, and a second average ing device associated with the first averaging device for steadying the movements of the indicating hand;

8. lIn a machine of the class described, the combination of a table provided with a transverse slot at its rear end, a constantly rotating cylindrical drum mounted below the table and having its upper edge or surface lying in a plane parallel to, but slightly above, the plane of the table, a plurality of parallelly arranged pulleys normally in engagement with the surface of the drum and Vvertically movable with respect thereto, a

linkage system connecting said vertically movable pulleys together and terminating in a single vertically movable member whereby, whenY sheet material is fed through the machine between the pulleys and the drum, the average vertical movement of the pulleys is imparted to the single vertically movable member, a rotatably mounted pulley, a crank pin ertendinglaterally outward therefrom and forming a pivotal connection for the upper end of said vertically movable member. gear teeth formed on a portion of the periphery of said rotatably mounted pulley, pinion meshingwith said gear teeth, an indicating hand attached .to said pinion` a graduated dial cooperating with said indL eating hand whereby the average movement imparted to the vertically movable member will be visually indicated on the dial by the indicating hand, a permanent record receiving means movable across the face of the 'dial, and means carried by the indicating ,movable pulleys together and terminating in a single vertically movable member Whereby, when sheet material 'fed through the machine between the pulleys and the drum, the v average vertical movementof the pulleys .is impartedL to the single vertically movable member, a rotatahly mounted pulley, a crank pin extending 'laterally outward therefrom and forming a pivotal connection tor the :upper end of said vertically movable member, gear teeth Vformed on a portion ofiE the periphery oli said Arotatably mounted pulley, a pinionrmeshing with said gear teeth, anfindicat- `ing hand attached to said pinion, a Agraduated dial lcooperating With said yindicating hand whereby the average irqovement impart- :ed'tothe vertically ymovable member will fhe visually indicated on vthe dial by the indicating hand, permanent record material mounted on the dial and movable vacross the yace thereof, means operable during the move ment of the sheet material through the macating hand for making a permanent record f on the record material ofthe movements of the indicating hand.

l0, In a machine of the class described,v

the combination of an indicating hand,l

.means foroperating said. hand controlled by the passage of material through the machine, and brake mechanism rviter said indicating hand operable by the material in its passage through the machine vto release the lhandV prior to the indicating operation and to lock Vthe hand prior to the complete passage ot material through the machine. v

In testimony whereof, I have signed my Aname to this specification.

"DANA E. VHi/.XTRD'I'NG.i 

